HTB network

The HTB network consists of churches planted by Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) or by HTB plants themselves. As such, it is a network of Anglican churches within the Church of England and the Church in Wales that are linked back to HTB.

The network now comprises more than 30 of the approximately 490 churches in the Diocese of London, and 66 churches nationwide across 17 dioceses. In recent years the Church Commissioners have released tens of millions of pounds of funding to help HTB plants revitalise strategic churches.

Controversies

St Sepulchre-without-Newgate was known as the National Musicians' Church for 70 years until August 2017 when hiring of the facilities for non-religious events was banned, against assurances which had been given when HTB took over in 2013. Fifty figures from the musical world signed an open letter urging reversal of the ban and preservation of the church's "unique national cultural remit". Acting Bishop of London Pete Broadbent tried to convince the church to reverse its ban. Andrew Earis, director of music at St Martin-in-the-Fields and former director of music at St Sepulchre, said the decision was "doing irreparable harm to the church as a whole". By 2024, the church was no longer a member of the HTB network, and priest-in-charge Nick Mottershead spoke of work to "rebuild a reputation around being the Musicians’ Church and to redefine and communicate that this is a place that is welcoming to all." He sought to make the church's support for same-sex blessings "very clear", due in part to the perception that it remained connected to HTB.

The 2020 relaunch (as 'Citizen Church') of Church of St Andrew & St Teilo in Cardiff was controversial with members of the existing congregation. A petition titled "Save St Teilo's" asking the diocese to "reverse its decision to place a new resource church in the place of ours" received almost 2,000 signatures. At an open parish meeting, "expressed opinion was unanimously opposed". Several people interviewed by the Church Times emphasised the importance of the church being welcoming to LGBT members. Parish treasurer Phil Hawkins described the decision to push ahead with plans without parish consultation as "appalling".

A lay leader who came out as lesbian at St Luke's Church, Kentish Town reported that she had been "forced out" of the church and her position as bible study leader by vicar Jon March, when new rules for living "beyond reproach" were introduced after telling him of her sexuality, rules which among other things prohibited being in a same-sex relationship. An internal investigation commissioned by the Bishop of Edmonton found that there were pastoral failings but not an abuse of power. The woman, who received three years of therapy for symptoms of PTSD, said: "When a vicar or church rejects someone because of who they are or what they do or what they believe, it feels like God has rejected me." Andrew Foreshew-Cain, the first Church of England vicar to marry a same-sex partner, said: "In a church like St Luke’s and Holy Trinity Brompton there is a deliberate attempt to hide what their actual attitudes are to LGBT people, but also to women in leadership."

List of church plants

This list is mostly drawn from the HTB website. Numbers refer to the maps below.

Maps

London

England & Wales

Notes

External links

• 17 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine